


beginner trails, cute park rangers, & perhaps love

by broduce



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: M/M, onghwang are fools
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 13:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15558717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broduce/pseuds/broduce
Summary: minhyun is a park rangerong is in lovehint: minhyun is too





	beginner trails, cute park rangers, & perhaps love

Minhyun taps his fingers lightly on the counter in front of him as he watches people mingle in and out of the park information center he works at. There seem to be mostly couples, and Minhyun can only scoff at his pathetic single self. He watches as a cute boy with rosy cheeks but terrible fashion sense (who wears mismatched neon shoelaces these days?) lets himself get dragged by the hand by a tall, handsome boy with a gummy smile. Minhyun turns toward the gift shop, where he sees another pretty boy (is it just him or does this one really resemble Judy from Zootopia?) try to put bunny earmuffs on another boy, who refuses with an emotionless face but then breaks into a snaggletoothed grin when his boyfriend pouts.

Minhyun sighs as he fixes his gaze on the entrance instead. Damn the winter months when visitation is slow and only couples come to sightsee and be lovey-dovey. Today is no exception, and Minhyun finds himself bored to death as he resorts to entertain himself by people watching. He would have to whine to Jisung later about putting up a TV or something.

Just then, a pair of long legs stride into the center. Minhyun straightens up as he stares at the tall gentleman who just walked in. Beautiful is an insult of a word to use to describe him, Minhyun thinks dreamily as his eyes stay glued to the Greek god, who at the moment is looking around curiously. Minhyun nearly trips over his own shoes when the guy looks his way, and for a brief second, makes eye contact. Minhyun quickly looks down, a laugh already escaping his lips, an annoying habit of his when he is embarrassed. Or happy, or sad, or mad, or any emotion, apparently, according to Jonghyun.

Minhyun feels his heart speed up when he notices the handsome stranger approach the counter.

"Hi."

"Hi there! Is there anything I can help you with today?" Minhyun, ever the perfect employee, greets said handsome stranger. He's pretty proud at how professional he sounds considering he feels like a million butterflies are flying into each other in his stomach.

The guy is even more beautiful up close, which Minhyun didn't think could be possible. His features are sharp and strong, which only reaffirm Minhyun's previous (unconscious) comparison to a Greek god. He is slender but lean, probably from some sort of long term exercise.

"Uhm yeah, actually," the stranger's voice brings Minhyun back from his silent admiration. "I'm supposed to be hiking through the park today with my friend and was wondering which trail you would recommend to a guy who runs out of breath climbing up a flight of stairs."

Minhyun laughs, and the action seems to please the beautiful Greek god, because he gives Minhyun a toothy smile, which almost makes Minhyun choke on his laugh because it is so breathtaking.

"So we've got quite a few beginner paths available," Minhyun starts, full park ranger mode turned on.

Halfway through explaining the differences between the three beginner trails, the stranger's phone rings. Minhyun notes with delight that the ringtone used is Super Junior's "Sorry Sorry," one of his favorite songs. An oldie but a goodie all the same.

"Sorry, gotta get this," the stranger says, looking up at Minhyun from his hunched over position over the maps, and Minhyun seems to have lost his voice because he can suddenly only nod in response.

Minhyun doesn't mean to eavesdrop. But he is too deep into this love at first sight thing that his ears seem to naturally focus on the stranger's soothing voice.

"Hey Niel," the stranger says into the phone, and Minhyun feels a completely unjustified prickle of resentment at the familiarity.

"What do you mean you can't make it?" Minhyun can make out the agitation in the stranger's voice, and his curiosity spikes.

"What? Tell Jaehwan to go annoy Sewoon or something." This time, Minhyun hears the annoyance and can almost feel the eye roll, even though he can't see it.

"Fine. You and Jaehwan both owe me one."

When the stranger turns back to Minhyun, he has a grim expression on his face, which shouldn't be attractive, but which of course is.

"Change of plans. My traitor of a friend can't make it," the stranger grumbles, looking at the map sadly.

Minhyun doesn't know what gets into him. Usually, in this kind of circumstance, he would express his sympathy and understanding, and maybe throw in a "come back some other time!"

Today, however, in front of the sulking (but still beautiful) stranger, Minhyun hears himself saying, "You should still hike it. I mean, since you're here already."

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, Minhyun lets out a nervous giggle, cursing himself for even speaking.

The stranger ponders the suggestion seriously, studying the maps with a concentrated expression. Suddenly, he looks up at Minhyun, a gleam in his eyes. "Okay....but only if you come with me."

Minhyun's eyes widen, and his heart threatens to either jump out of his ribcage or just stop beating completely.

He's working...he can't just take off....but....

"Okay," Minhyun says easily, and he feels a sense of satisfaction at the stranger's eyebrow raise.

"Just like that? Don't you need to, like, tell your boss or something?"

Minhyun shrugs. "It's fine, he's a friend. He'll deal." Internally, he prays Jisung won't chew him out too much later. But knowing Jisung, he'd be more interested in knowing every single detail of the hike with the beautiful stranger.

"Oh," said beautiful stranger remarks, flashing a beautiful smile, "My name's Seongwoo, by the way. Ong Seongwoo."

 

* * *

 

Seongwoo is in trouble.

The cute park ranger with long legs and beautiful crescent moon shaped eyes is attractive  _and_ nice.

It hasn't been two minutes into their walk (on the easiest trail) when Minhyun shifts his eyes in Seongwoo's direction, casts a quick glance from head to toe (making Seongwoo flush), and promptly takes off his outer jacket. He strides over to Seongwoo purposefully with his long legs, and before Seongwoo has processed anything other than "oh my god his thighs could probably break my neck," he has been enveloped in Minhyun's warm jacket.

It seems to Seongwoo that Minhyun's hands stay on his shoulders a second longer than necessary, but that could also just be him imagining things because he swears time stops in those few seconds.

"You're going to get cold," Minhyun says, his eyes turning into those adorable slants as he lets out a small laugh.

"Th-thanks," Seongwoo stutters, which is just so uncharacteristic of him, a self-proclaimed confidence man.

The jacket smells like fresh laundry and the great outdoors, which would normally strike Seongwoo as a very odd pair of scents but which surprisingly complement each other quite well, and whose contrast seem to fit Minhyun's various charms too.

Seongwoo looks at Minhyun and frowns at the fact that the other man seems to be just a couple of centimeters taller than him. He straightens his back as he peeks another glance at Minhyun. The guy truly is a sight to behold. Intimidating with a sharp gaze when concentrating on something, Minhyun turns into a foxy prince when he smiles, his nose crinkling up adorably and his eyes sparkling beautifully.

"So other than being a phenomenal park ranger, what else do you do with your time?" Seongwoo asks casually as they make their way onto the nicely paved path.

"I sing," Minhyun offers, letting out that adorable laugh of his again. This time, it is tinged with slight embarrassment, and Seongwoo thinks it sounds even cuter.

Seongwoo's eyebrows shoot up. "No way. Didn't peg you as the type."

"My shower is my biggest audience," Minhyun confesses, laughing sweetly again.

"Sing something for me?" Seongwoo requests, his eyes flitting up to meet Minhyun's in a hopeful gaze.

Minhyun pauses for a second, contemplating, and Seongwoo wonders if he came off too demanding. Before he can apologize and retract his request, however, a sweet voice fills the crisp nature air.

Seongwoo's steps stall for a second as Minhyun starts singing. The voice is honey-like, warm and sweet, and Seongwoo finds himself lost in it. He is so engrossed that it takes a few seconds for him to recognize the song as one of his favorites, Bolbbalgan4's "Galaxy," and before he knows it, he joins in.

Seongwoo sees Minhyun glance at him in surprise, but neither of them pause. Their voices mesh together, Seongwoo's lower range complementing Minhyun's higher tone in a harmony that can only be described as beautiful.

When it is over, silence engulfs them for a moment but Minhyun's sweet voice seems to linger in Seongwoo's ear.

"You sing too," Minhyun finally comments, his tone slightly accusatory.

Seongwoo laughs sheepishly, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. "Not really. You though, you have a beautiful voice."

Seongwoo sees the slight tint of pink dust Minhyun's cheeks and he feels pride at making the other blush.

"Nah, it was just something I picked up when some kids in middle school made fun of my high toned voice. Thought I could put it to good use."

Seongwoo is impressed (smitten might be the better word, but he doesn't want to get ahead of himself). Here is this guy, cute, tall, handsome, nice, interesting, determined...Seongwoo is seriously running out of words to describe how perfect Hwang Minhyun is. And this perfect guy is taking a hike with him. Seongwoo feels butterflies in his stomach just at the thought.

"So what about you, Seongwoo?" Minhyun asks.

Seongwoo nearly trips over a tree branch, the only thing breaking his fall being Minhyun's fast reflexes, catching Seongwoo's arm in his hand and pulling him up.

"Woah there, you alright?"

Seongwoo looks up to see Minhyun's face dangerously close to his, the concern etched on his forehead and shining through his eyes.

"Uh," he responds intelligibly.

Minhyun takes that as an affirmative and relinquishes his hold on Seongwoo's arm. Seongwoo pouts at the loss of contact but quickly masks it into a grimace when Minhyun looks at him.

"You really don't get out much, do you?" Minhyun remarks with a laugh.

Seongwoo thinks about admitting that he tripped because Minhyun said his name, said his name so sweetly that Seongwoo wants to hear it again and again.

Yeah, admitting he's a lazy bum whose daily workout exercise consists of a walk from his couch to his TV to turn it on manually because he lost his remote sometime last year just seems easier, you know?

It's not like the latter reason is a lie, either.

"So what do you do in your free time, if not take advantage of Mother Nature?" Minhyun asks, peeking at Seongwoo.

Seongwoo shrugs, kicking at the pebbles on the ground. "I dance here and there."

This time, it is Minhyun's turn to be surprised. "Dance?"

Seongwoo feels shy all of a sudden, with Minhyun's gaze on him.

"Yeah, a hobby I took up in college, I guess. It passes the time," Seongwoo answers, ducking his head as he feels his cheeks flame up.

There is a moment's pause before Seongwoo hears that soft tinkling laugh again. "You can dance, but can't do a three mile hike."

"Hey," Seongwoo protests, a smile forming, "Walking is hard."

Minhyun laughs, a full blown chortle with his head thrown back, and as Seongwoo feels his heart do a funny gymnastics routine in his chest at the sound, he thinks that he is in a lot more than just trouble.

 

* * *

 

Minhyun can usually walk the green trail, the easiest beginner trail their park offered, in a solid fifteen minutes from start to finish. With Seongwoo, it takes them an entire hour.

Minhyun wishes it took them longer.

In the hour, Minhyun learns about random aspects of Seongwoo's life, such as his two best friends Daniel and Jaehwan, who bring as much trouble as joy to Seongwoo's life; that he likes all kinds of dance but has a special affinity for popping; that he likes to make people laugh, even if it means making a fool of himself.

And, maybe because Minhyun is a naturally keen observer or maybe (probably) because he just pays more attention to Seongwoo, he notices other small things. Like how Seongwoo hates the silence, always trying to fill it up with jokes or other chatter; like how, when he gets embarassed, his hand goes to rub the back of his neck as he laughs sheepishly; like how, even though he complains about being tired of walking, will break out into random dances along the way.

And Minhyun finds himself divulging facts about his life too, things that he would normally be hesitant to share with anyone, let along a complete stranger. Like how his boss is a big chatter box but is also the biggest mother hen; how he de-stresses by going on cleaning sprees; how he dislikes coffee because of the bitterness; how he prefers to stay in with a nice book instead of going out to party.

Talking to Seongwoo is easy, Minhyun realizes.

The walk comes to an end much too soon. As soon as he spots the information center up ahead of them, Minhyun finds his steps a little more slowed down than usual, and he would feel bad if he hadn't noticed Seongwoo do the exact same thing.

Silence hangs in the air as they climb the steps into the small building, and even Seongwoo doesn't try to break it.

Minhyun is the one who finally speaks as they near the counter. "So..."

Seongwoo looks up, and Minhyun thinks he sees...something in those eyes. Something that makes his heart thud loudly.

"This hiking thing...isn't so bad," Seongwoo says with a sloppy grin.

"Yeah?" Minhyun breathes out, trying to ignore what Seongwoo's words might imply.

"Hwang Minhyun!"

Minhyun winces at the familiar tone as Seongwoo peers around him curiously.

"The boss?"

Minhyun sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Unfortunately."

"He looks kind of pissed," Seongwoo whispers. "You should probably go talk to him."

Minhyun just sighs again, telling Seongwoo that he'll be right back, before turning around to walk over to Jisung.

"Hwang Minhyun," Jisung repeats, his arms crossed over his chest as he fixes Minhyun with a beedy stare.

"Yoon Jisung," Minhyun returns, before quickly tacking on a "...hyung."

Jisung's eyes look like they're about to pop out of their sockets. "Hwang Minhyun, who is that?"

Minhyun doesn't have to look back to know that Jisung is staring a hole into Seongwoo.

"A new friend," Minhyun supplies after a moment's consideration. It's not untrue.

"Friend?" Jisung asks, eyebrows raised.

"Friend," Minhyun repeats, staring Jisung down.

"Okay," Jisung concedes. "Can I go say hi to Minhyun's hot new friend?"

"Hyung!" Minhyun hisses, feeling his cheeks heat up.

Jisung just laughs. "All right, go back to your hot new friend. He looks lonely without you."

Minhyun has half a mind to flick Jisung off before remembering that the older has the ability to deduct his paycheck, so he just kindly glares at his boss before turning away.

"Is he mad?" Seongwoo asks, his eyes flitting behind Minhyun's approaching figure nervously.

Minhyun laughs. "Nah, don't worry about it. Jisung hyung is a big softie; he can't get mad at anyone."

Seongwoo smiles at that, and Minhyun thinks that he would really like to see that smile more.

But then Seongwoo is shrugging off the jacket Minhyun had lent him.

"Thanks again. I don't know how you didn't freeze your butt off out there," Seongwoo says, handing back the jacket, and Minhyun feels a strange disappointment and an even stranger urge to tell Seongwoo to keep it.

"I'm used to it," is what he says instead, hand extended to receive the jacket.

"So...I guess this is it?" Seongwoo says, his hand making its way to the back of his neck in an action that has somehow not only become familiar, but also endearing to Minhyun.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Minhyun agrees softly, hoping the smile on his face doesn't seem as forced as it is. "I'm proud of you for completing the trail."

Seongwoo laughs in a way that scrunches up his nose and brings out his forehead wrinkles. Minhyun tries not to stare too much.

"I had pretty good company," Seongwoo says, sending Minhyun an exaggerated wink that consequently sends Minhyun's stomach into an exaggerated nose dive.

"Yeah? I'm glad."

The two fall silent, and Minhyun wishes that the imminent goodbye can be pushed off until...well, forever.

It's the familiar tune of "Galaxy" that breaks the silence, and Minhyun glances down instinctively at his phone.

He looks back up at Seongwoo and catches the slight smile of recognition. "Sorry, give me a sec?"

Seongwoo nods, turning a little to give him some privacy.

"Hey Daehwi, what's up?"

There's a high pitched scream in his ear and Minhyun recoils, pulling the phone away.

"Slow down, Hwi, I can't understand what you're saying," Minhyun says gently.

He's hanging up a minute later, sighing loudly.

"Trouble?" Seongwoo asks, and somehow his voice manages to calm Minhyun's nerves down a little.

"Kind of. My neighbor Jinyoung apparently got his face stuck in a hole because he was trying to prove how small his head is," Minhyun answers, rubbing his eyes.

Seongwoo laughs, and then immediately looks guilty. "Sorry."

Minhyun laughs too. "It is pretty funny."

There's a pause, and even though Minhyun knows he should run home to help Daehwi pull Jinyoung out of the fence, he lingers.

"Well, I'll let you go save the day then," Seongwoo finally says, stuffing his hands into his jeans.

Minhyun nods, because he's sure that if he opens his mouth, he'll say something stupid like _don't go_ or _you're really hot._

"I'll see you around?" Seongwoo asks, and Minhyun prays to every god that he isn't imagining the hope in Seongwoo's voice.

He clears his throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll see you around, Seongwoo."

Seongwoo flashes him that pearly white smile and Minhyun is glad he is leaning against the counter, because his legs have suddenly turned into jelly.

"All right. Thanks for everything today, Minhyun."

And then, with a last wave and smile, Seongwoo turns around, and Minhyun can only watch as he walks out the door.

"Don't you have to go help Jinyoung?" A voice suddenly says, suspiciously close, and Minhyun jumps.

"Hyung!" Minhyun's eyes narrow. "Were you listening this whole time?"

Jisung shrugs, reaching over to adjust a few brochures, but Minhyun sees the smile on his boss' face.

Minhyun sighs and shakes his head. But Jisung is right, and so, he puts on his jacket. "Bye, hyung. I'll see you tomorrow."

Jisung nods, patting Minhyun on the shoulder affectionately, and Minhyun smiles at the gesture.

He puts his hands in his pockets and...something rustles against his fingers. Curious, Minhyun pulls out a piece of crumpled paper.

Scrawled messily is the name Ong Seongwoo, and then below it, numbers, along with a winky face.

Minhyun stares at the piece of paper for a second before letting out a loud chuckle. Ong Seongwoo, that sneaky devil.

He pockets the paper neatly, the smile not leaving his face. His phone is vibrating in his jean pocket, no doubt Daehwi still freaking out, but Minhyun lets himself have this moment to himself.

It's been a good day, Minhyun muses as he steps out into the cold.

 

* * *

  
Minhyun rests his head on his arms, watching as his coworker entertains himself by trying to throw balled up pieces of paper into the trash can.

"Hyung, you haven't made a single shot," Minhyun points out, his eyes nevertheless following the trajectory of the latest attempt.

"Hush it," Sungwoon snaps, sticking out his tongue and closing an eye in concentration.

Minhyun laughs, and then immediately masks it as a cough when Sungwoon glares at him. For someone so tiny, Ha Sungwoon could sure be scary.

Just as Sungwoon misses another shot, to his disappointment and Minhyun's amusement, someone walks into the information center.

Minhyun straightens up, even as his eyes continue to watch Sungwoon's next attempt.

"Welc--" The word gets stuck in his throat when he finally glances up.

Striding in is a familiar pair of long legs. Minhyun's mouth pops open in shock, and when he finally meets Seongwoo's eyes, he sees amusement and satisfaction.

It takes a few seconds for Minhyun to regain his voice, an added reason being that today, Seongwoo comes sporting a coat, and Minhyun thinks that it really should be illegal for someone to look that good in a long coat.

"Seongwoo?" Minhyun asks when he finally gets ahold of his voice. By then, Seongwoo has already made his way to the counter.

"Hi Minhyun," Seongwoo greets brightly.

Minhyun is ready to combust on the spot because today, Seongwoo's hair is gelled up, exposing his forehead and giving Minhyun an even better view of those beautiful eyes.

"Wh...what are you doing here?" Minhyun asks, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Sungwoon watching the entire interaction with excited curiosity. Jisung has no doubt mentioned something to him, if his not-so-subtle winks to Minhyun are any indication, and Minhyun thinks he really needs better friends.

Seongwoo leans against the counter, dangerously close, and Minhyun sucks in a breath.

"Well..." Seongwoo looks up, and Minhyun's heart positively stutters. "Since a great park ranger told me I did well on the beginner trail, I was thinking maybe I could try a more vigorous one today."

"Oh," Minhyun says intelligibly, a stupid grin making its way onto his face. "Well, I certainly could help with that."

"Yeah, you think so?" There's laughter in Seongwoo's voice, and Minhyun bites down on his lip to keep from letting out an embarrassing giggle.

"Do...do you happen to need a companion again today?" Minhyun asks, hoping the excitement in his voice doesn't show too much.

By the look on Seongwoo's face (and the smirk on Sungwoon's, but Minhyun isn't thinking about that), he probably failed with that, but Minhyun isn't too devastated.

"Yeah, I do," Seongwoo says with a grin. "Need some advice, actually."

Minhyun's eyebrow quirks up. "Oh?"

"Yeah, there's this guy...he hasn't called me, even though I went through a lot of trouble to slip him my number." Seongwoo is tapping his fingers quickly on the counter, and Minhyun feels his heart rate match the speed. "What do you think it means?"

Minhyun is speechless for a second, struggling to catch his breath. "Uh..."

Seongwoo grins wider. "You see, this normally wouldn't affect me. But this guy...well, he's really attractive. And he's kind of perfect. And he's probably way out of my league, but hey, you can't blame a guy for trying right?"

If Seongwoo is trying to knock all the breath out of Minhyun, it's working.

By the time Minhyun feels like he can make a comprehensible response, Seongwoo's eyes are glittering with mirth and his mouth is twitched up in a sly smile.

"It's only been a day, Seongwoo," is the only response Minhyun can squeak out, his voice a good two octaves higher than normal. He clears his throat, flushing red.

Seongwoo leans his face closer, and Minhyun thinks smugness shouldn't look so attractive. "I guess I'm kind of impatient. Especially when it comes to cute park rangers with honey voices."

Minhyun lets out a laugh and Seongwoo visibly relaxes, even though Minhyun hadn't noticed how tense he was before.

"You're cute when you're flustered," Seongwoo says with a smile.

Minhyun returns the smile. "I thought I was already cute?"

"You're cuter, then," Seongwoo amends.

"So...that trail?" Minhyun prods, already coming around the counter to join Seongwoo.

Seongwoo flashes a grin. "Don't you need to tell your boss or something?"

Minhyun laughs, throwing a glance over his shoulder at Sungwoon, who is gaping at them. "Nah, I think I'm good."

Seongwoo reaches for Minhyun's hand, and Minhyun meets him halfway.

"Hey Minhyun?" Seongwoo whispers.

Minhyun looks over to see Seongwoo wearing the same grin he no doubt is, his eyes dancing. "Yeah?"

"Can we do that beginner trail again? It kind of wore me out yesterday," Seongwoo confesses sheepishly, the hand that is not currently holding Minhyun's going up to his neck, and Minhyun smiles at the action.

Minhyun laughs loudly as he threads his fingers through Seongwoo's in a tighter hold. "Guess we'll need time to work up to the harder trails."

Seongwoo perks up. "Does that mean we'll go on more of these dates?"

Minhyun pinks at the word date, but he tries to keep his childish excitement to himself. "I'd like that."

Seongwoo seems pleased with the answer because he starts pulling on Minhyun's hand toward the door.

As soon as they step outside, the cold breeze causes Minhyun to shiver.

Seongwoo looks back at him. "Are you cold?"

And Minhyun feels Seongwoo tighten his grip on his hand. So he smiles and shakes his head. "Just right."

Seongwoo smiles back before tugging Minhyun out the door.

"Seongwoo?" Minhyun calls out.

"Yeah?"

"You're going the wrong way."

Seongwoo laughs, the pink of his embarrassment mingling prettily with the pink of the cold.

"What would I do without my cute park ranger?" Seongwoo says with exaggerated flare.

Minhyun giggles and hits him lightly on the arm.

"Lead away, cute park ranger with the honey voice!" Seongwoo declares, tugging Minhyun in front of him.

Minhyun rolls his eyes, but there's unmistakable affection in his gaze.

He thinks, with Seongwoo by his side, he'd be able to lead them anywhere.

Behind him, Seongwoo trips on a rock.

Minhyun takes it back -- with Seongwoo by his side, he'd be able to lead them anywhere but through the expert trails.

**Author's Note:**

> i've actually had this in my drafts since last summer? but never got around to posting it. inspired by a random cute worker at the information desk somewhere at banff national park when i visited last year. 
> 
> happy almost one year debut to wanna one ♥


End file.
